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New curriculum for 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: A new primary school curriculum will be introduced in 2011, with fewer subjects and a more interactive teaching approach.

The new curriculum, called Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah or KSSR, will see some subjects combined, and new ones created with themes on nationhood and patriotism.

It will apply to national and vernacular schools.

It is learnt that modules will be used to teach pupils in place of textbooks.

KSSR will be introduced in Year One next year, and advance through primary school together with the pupils as they go up to the next level of education.

At the same time, KIA2M or the Early Intervention Programme for Reading andWriting — introduced in 2006 to ensure all pupils can read and write by the end of their primary school years — will be abolished.

Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom told the New Sunday Times that the KSSR would represent a “transformation in education”.

It will not replace the present New Primary School Curriculum or KBSR but exist alongside it.

“KSSR’s main aimis to strengthen the command of Bahasa Malaysia and English among primary school pupils.

“The teaching and learning approach will be more interactive and interesting, especially for the teaching of the two languages in line with the Education Ministry’s policy to strengthen both languages as the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English comes to an end that year. ” Alimuddin said teachers were being prepared for the KSSR.

On the scrapping of the KIA2M, Alimuddin said it was not because it was unsuccessful.

“It is more because of situational circumstances. With the onset of the KSSR in 2011, the need for an intervention programme such as the one offered through KIA2M is no longer relevant.

“This is because the learning and content standards that are outlined in KSSR are specifically aimed towards ensuring pupils acquire basic literacy skills by the end of Year 3.” This is also in line with the second National Key Result Areas (NKRA) for the ministry —to ensure all primary school pupils have basic literacy skills after three years of formal schooling.

Also to be introduced next year, said Alimuddin, is the National Standard-Based Preschool Curriculum (KSPK) for five and six-year-olds.

“This curriculum will be used by all preschools in the country, whether they are government pre-schools, those operated by agencies such as the Community Development Department (Kemas), Tadika Perpaduan, or privately- run.

“This is to ensure the aspirations, principles and aims inherent in the curriculum are captured by all pupils through the education they receive at that level.” He said this would also help the ministry realise its first NKRA, which is to ensure 87 per cent pre-school enrolment by 2012.

The KSPK, said Alimuddin, would also involve a new approach in teaching and learning.